Apiculture in the Prehistoric Aegean

Description

Ever since antiquity, people have highly valued the bee and hive products: the bee for its industrious and organizational capabilities, honey for its nutritious and therapeutic qualities and beeswax and propolis for their multiple uses. What is evident from ancient Egyptian depictions is the remarkable preservation of apiculture techniques and paraphernalia from prehistoric up to modern times. However, no systematic review of this evidence exists for the prehistoric Aegean, despite several isolated but important findings. Studying these findings and comparing them with modern folkloric apiculture items, the authors of this book ascertain that as in Egypt so too in Greece there was very little change in the forms of beekeeping items from prehistoric times. The work also includes research into folklore, methods, habits and beliefs still in use by traditional beekeepers in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.